Chapter 11: Twilight Town: Truth and Lies

The minute Toshiro woke the next morning he knew something was wrong. He was close to where Roxas lived and as such could sense the boy's Spiritual Pressure. It felt more whole than ever, even if it had been steadily going that way since he met Roxas. But that wasn't what told Toshiro that something was wrong, terribly wrong. The virtual world seemed off somehow, distorted in his eyes.

"It's time for Roxas to return to Sora." Diz's voice echoed in his temporary room. "Lead him to the mansion; the Nobodies are breaking through into the virtual world."

"Gotta leave me all the hard work." Toshiro sighed and grabbed Hyorinmaru, noticing his Soul Reaper clothes folded neatly beside his bed.

"Thought you might want to fight comfortably." Diz chuckled before there was a small beep and the echo faded.

After changing into the familiar black uniform and haori, throwing the scarf back around his neck, Toshiro used Flash step towards where Roxas was. He was at the usual spot where he and his 'friends' hung out, but as Hayner, Pence, and Olette ran out, Roxas not with them, he realized that Roxas's days in their group was over. When the blonde came out, Toshiro saw the pain in his eyes at being ignored by his friends and frowned, softening his expression in sympathy. No one deserved to be used like that, even a Nobody. Not one like Roxas, anyway.

"Roxas, we need to get moving." Toshiro said, snapping Roxas out of his depression. "Those creatures are everywhere."

"What?" The expression on the blonde's face quickly shifted from sadness to anger; no doubt he was blaming them for his sudden disappearance from the minds of his 'friends'.

As if to prove the white haired Captain right, several Nobodies sprung up from their portals and blocked off the exits to the alleyway. Roxas summoned his Keyblade just as Toshiro drew Hyorinmaru and they stood back to back with one another.

To make matters worse, Axel arrived, scratching the back of his head with a look of disappointment.

"Look at what it's come too." Axel sighed heavily. "I have these icky orders to destroy you if you refuse to come back with me."

Toshiro was about to reply but instead turned his attention to the Nobodies as they danced slowly closer, Roxas focused on the red-head.

"We're…best friends, right?" Roxas said cautiously and his companion sent him an odd glance.

"Sure but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for…" Axel registered what Roxas said. "Wait, you remember now?"

At the excited look on his face, Toshiro realized that what Roxas said must have been true. But then, where did he hear it from? What prompted him to say that to Axel? He watched carefully as Roxas nodded, also keeping an eye on the approaching Nobodies.

"Great!" Axel had the Nobodies pause with a slight flick of his hand. "But, uh, gotta make sure and all…hm…what's our boss's name?"

Apparently that wasn't a memory Roxas had back yet as he stared blankly at the red-head before lifting up his Keyblade. The hopeful look on Axel's face vanished.

"Can't believe this." Axel said sadly, then motioned for the Nobodies to attack.

"Sorry Diz." Toshiro muttered under his breath, then lifted his blade up. "Reign over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

The temperature around them dropped to freezing, the blade in Toshiro's hand growing a little longer, the chain-blade appearing, and a much larger dragon than Roxas's white one of freezing water circled around them, killing off the Nobodies before heading for Axel and hardening into ice. The Fire Nobody lit himself aflame to counter the freezing beast, barely managing to stop the creature without injury and panting already from the effort.

"I'll hold him, get to the mansion." Toshiro snapped at Roxas, grabbing onto the Keyblade for a few seconds before letting him go.

Roxas nodded once the Keyblade changed shape and raced away, trusting Toshiro's judgment. The white haired child was definitely strong enough to handle Axel. As he ran, he thought he saw buildings or even people, frozen in time, glitch occasionally. That wasn't normal; people didn't just glitch in and out of existence. Then again, ever since the pictures were stolen, the town had not acted like a normal town. Today was the proof.

"I'm sorry I can't get your friend back." Toshiro said to the panting Axel.

"Tch, he's not the Roxas I remember anyway." He snapped back. "He's changed."

"I can at least promise you it had nothing to do with me."

"Yeah but you helped. Do you even know what's going on?"

"I know enough to keep you from taking Roxas back to Organization XIII. To be honest, I'm not interested in this Kingdom Hearts quest, I simply want to return to my world."

"Then stay out of the way!"

"Roxas is my key to the way home, therefore I can't let you take him."

The red-head scowled and prepared to strike back. Toshiro tensed, waiting for the strike, but it didn't come. Axel had been frozen.

"Your power is overheating the system." Came Diz's voice. "Seal it and catch up to Roxas. The town cannot break before he reunites with Sora."

Toshiro sealed Hyorinmaru as told before racing away from the area towards where Roxas was battling his way through Nobodies using the icy Keyblade. Various spikes of ice could be seen in spots along the path to the mansion.

He met up with Roxas in the forest, using Hyorinmaru to cut down a Nobody behind the blonde as it attempted to ambush him.

"Is he gone?" Roxas asked, meaning Axel.

"No, time was frozen. Seems we have some outside help." Toshiro replied.

"That man in red?"

"Most probably. Come on, let's get to the mansion. There shouldn't be any creatures there."

Upon reaching the mansion they realized they had a problem; the gate was still locked tight.

"The Keyblade." Toshiro said just as several Nobodies appeared to attack.

While Roxas undid the lock, Toshiro darted forward and took out one of the Dusks, wrapping another in the chain and encasing it in ice before breaking it with a tug, cutting down a third straight afterword. But it seemed for every Nobody he killed, another appeared in its place, and now there were Nobodies with long arms, spikes running down the ends. These kinds could move through the ground like water, slashing at him from below while they remained safe from Hyorinmaru's blade. He had to use the chain-blade to latch onto an arm and forcefully pull them from the ground before he could freeze or cut them.

A black-robed figure leaped into the fray with a strange looking blade, a red bat wing shape with dark blue fingers, the guard being a light blue eye in a gray circle, the hilt black.

"Did Roxas make it in?" Toshiro asked Ansem.

"Yes, he's headed to the white room." Ansem replied while cutting down a Dusk. "The clue he needs to open the way to Sora is there."

"Can't you just lead him straight to Sora?"

"I'm rather busy at the moment."

The white haired Captain rolled his eyes and struck down two more Nobodies.

"How do I get out of this world?" He asked.

"Once Roxas returns to Sora he'll move him to the real world and bring you as well."

"Good, I don't plan on being stuck here."

"He never intended on trapping you here, especially after he learned what you were."

For that Toshiro simply nodded, striking down a few more Nobodies back to back with the hooded man as he waited for Roxas. He noticed there was another presence in what he supposed was the white room.

"Is Naminé supposed to be with Roxas?" He looked at Ansem.

"…No."

Sighing, Toshiro Flash Stepped to the building and stepped inside before leaping up to the second story, moving into the room where the Nobodies were. Just as he was opening the door to the pure white room, drawings covering the wall, he saw Naminé vanish, forced out by who he assumed was Diz, the man appearing seconds after in front of a furious looking Roxas.

"There's no knowledge that has the power to change your fate." Diz snapped at the Nobody, obviously annoyed.

"Even if it doesn't, I wanna know." Roxas growled back. "I have a right to know."

"A Nobody doesn't have a right to know. Nor does it even have the right to be."

"Diz." Toshiro snapped and the two looked in his direction, both surprised. "I suggest you tell him something or I will."

"Stay out of this, Captain." Diz frowned.

"Captain?" Roxas looked at his friend in confusion.

"I'm not human, Roxas, and you're a Nobody, only half a person." Toshiro replied. "They need you to return to Sora so that he can destroy Organization XIII."

"You may be a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Toshiro Hitsugaya, but you have no right to interfere in the affairs of other worlds." Diz argued.

"I do if it means I return home. My absence may be the difference between someone's life and death in my world and I suggest you keep in mind that I can easily break your system by releasing my zanpaktou."

Diz was obviously furious but Toshiro saw no reason to hold anything back from Roxas. If he was returning to Sora it would be good to transmit some of that information to Sora through the Nobody, but obviously the man disliked Nobodies too much to give the boy a chance. While the two figures glared, the room steadily growing colder and Roxas about ready to shout at them both, a dark portal appeared and a blonde haired girl stepped out of it.

"Roxas!" Naminé called out as she stepped out from the portal. "You won't disappear, you'll be whole."

"I'll…disappear?" Roxas looked concerned by this, taking a step away from them.

"No further outbursts!" Diz growled and grabbed onto Naminé's arm, dragging her back into the portal as Ansem appeared in the room.

"Too many Nobodies." He growled out to Diz and the man nodded to him.

"You won't disappear." Naminé spoke quickly to a stunned Roxas. Diz began to pull her inside, and though Toshiro wanted to help, he knew he had to stay out of it. "We will meet again, Roxas, and then we can talk about everything. I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me, but we will meet again. I promise!"

"Wait!" Roxas attempted to help her but Ansem stepped in his path. "Naminé!"

Diz and Naminé vanished inside the dark portal, closing it behind them, and Ansem teleported using another portal away from them, leaving Toshiro and Roxas there alone. The Captain noticed a piece of paper that had been dropped by Naminé before she was taken and stepped over to pick it up, Roxas currently trying to process everything that had just happened. The picture was well sketched and he could tell it was important if she made sure to leave it for them. He folded the paper and pocketed it.

"I'm…a Nobody." Roxas muttered to himself. "Wait…You knew!"

At the accusing stare Toshiro sighed.

"Barely." He replied.

"But you knew and you didn't say anything! You've been working with them the entire time, haven't you!?

"Not really. Diz grates on my nerves and the man in black is just his henchman."

"Then why…why didn't you tell me anything?"

"Judging from your personality you would have tried to fight off the Organization on your own, and you can't do that. You need help, and that help means making you whole again. I'm not doing this to help Diz destroy Organization XIII. To be honest, I'm doing this to go home. I could care less what else happens."

He sheathed Hyorinmaru and let the temperature return to normal as Roxas continued to glare at him.

"You were just using me." He growled.

"Wrong, I was helping you." Toshiro corrected and Roxas snorted in disbelief. "If I was trying to use you I would have just taken you to Sora and forced you back together, or I would be helping Diz, which I'm not. Notice Diz never brings his real self here when I'm around. He's afraid I'll attack him and he's right in thinking that, considering he's threatened me far too many times."

"So…you're not…going to just abandon me?"

Toshiro quirked an eyebrow at the question. True, Roxas now realized his entire life here was nothing but lies and pixels, which was definitely sad and somewhat horrifying. However, he was also from an organization attempting to make themselves whole by sacrificing thousands of others. He had to know that now.

"I intend to help you through to the end, if that's what you mean." Toshiro finally answered, heading towards the doors. "And I'll be assisting Sora until I can return to my world, so in a way I'll still be helping you."

"…thanks, Toshiro." Roxas followed him quietly back out into the foyer.

"Don't thank me yet…" Toshiro muttered under his breath.

So it's time for Roxas to return to Sora and the Nobodies are starting to pressure the two. Also, Roxas finds out the truth AND that Shiro knew about it. At least they managed to get over it and are now heading towards Sora. Let's see what happens next! Enjoy!